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Harelquin painting on Powder Room walls.
Remember “faux” painting techniques….paint can be used in interesting ways to add texture, bold color or pattern to walls. When the approach is subtle, elegant and classic the result will be timeless. A little whimsy can be timeless too!
Before
After
Changing the walls to a warm paint color highlighted the architectural features of this living room and created a welcoming space for family, friends and guests to enjoy.
Before
After
This dining room is a great demonstration of what a difference just changing the paint color in a room can do. We chose a green that was a complimentary color with the mahogany red stain color of the furniture in this room.
I think there is a cultural shift afoot that is resulting in people approaching things in a new way. One shift that I see that is exciting to me is the increased interest in authenticity. I think our culture is reevaluating how they are making decisions. They want to be real. I applaud this effort and have always incorporated this philosophy into designing interiors.
Does your home reflect the authentic you? And who your family really is? By building interiors and environments that are authentic you will ensure they are lasting and timeless, because you are. By giving intentional thought to your values, your personality, your passions and designing around those criteria you will have a home that does three things for you: supports you in a real way, expresses who you are to guests in your home, and has opportunity to evolve with you while having the lasting foundation that represents the roots of who you (or your family) are.
Think about your values as an individual or a family. Do you value the environment? Design with a green emphasis and make long term choices. Do you value education? Incorporate what I like to call a resource rich environment. Do you value spending time together as a family? Design a home where multiple activities can be enjoyed in the same space. Do you like to be creative? Incorporate spaces for self expression into your home. Do you like to stay active? Design space to support your dance, yoga, or exercise program. Do you think it is important to honor your ancestry? Incorporate traditional patterning, historical documents or family memorabilia into your home. This list could be endless and would be unique to each family or person. It may seem like you would need to have a lot of space or a huge budget to do these things but the truth is that a thoughtful approach to the design of your space may be all that is required to incorporate all of your values into your space.
Think about your personality as an individual or family. Are you the bubbly, gregarious life of the party? Chances are you want your space to have color, rhythm and distinct areas of emphasis. You may want it to be comfortable so guests will love to come to a party at your house. Are you a quiet, reflective, introvert? Perhaps your ideal space is a zen retreat. Do you consider yourself a technical wiz? Maybe your home is a smart home with all the latest technology. Are you sentimental or romantic? Soft colors, traditional furnishings and intricate patterns would let people who visit your home know this. Again, the list is as long as the number of people on the planet. But you get the idea!
We start each project with your values, personality and passions in mind. Then your space is authentic, lasting and fits you perfectly.
What do the following interiors say to you about their occupants? Anything? You decide!
Lavender quiets internal dialogue, the perfect color for a bedroom and especially helpful for someone with insomnia. It’s soothing qualities would create a nice quiet sitting room or meditation space. It also inspires creativity…think studio or writing nook.
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Blue is a universally liked color. The peaceful nature of blue represents stability, appealing to our responsible, logical side. When used in a complementary color scheme blue provides a sense of quietness to its social orange counterpart, and brings the same relaxing feeling to a monochromatic color scheme. It has a cooling effect and can create a spa like feeling in a bathroom.
Green is nature’s neutral. Color affects us emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. With green we feel refreshed, balanced and quietly social, making it a good base for many different rooms.
Red and it’s cousins raspberry or peony are vibrant colors that show passion and create active social spaces. They also stimulate appetite. Be careful, too much of a strong clear red can actually make people feel aggressive. Bold colors are now available in healthy paint alternatives with Benjamin Moore’s Natura paint formula. The interior waterbourne paint offers premium performance, is available in every color and has zero VOCs!
Color doesn’t really qualify as a detail. It is a significant part of a room. Yellow is optimistic, cheerful and can help with clarity and recall. It stimulates appetite as well. Who wouldn’t be happy in a yellow sitting room or with a yellow chair tucked into a reading corner? You can paint great colors in your home, have superior performance and have the healthiest paint available on the market from Benjamin Moore Natura!
Here in the frozen north we are just now seeing the signs of spring. The grass is turning green and with spring comes a sense of renewal. I find myself looking at everything with fresh eyes. As nature effortlessly transforms our outdoor environment, we all feel a new energy.
That new energy can translate into looking at our indoor environment with new eyes and wanting it to reflect the changes outside. Throughout winter our landscape is gray, white, beige and bland. With spring color returns to the landscape; green grass, budding leaves, frozen lakes that reflect interesting shades of blue and eventually we will see the full bloom of color. I often think about how the return of color to our landscape lifts peoples spirits and gives people the energy to pursue new endeavors.
It inspires me to use color in designing interiors and to think about how the color combinations in our natural landscape inspire the best color schemes. When the colors in your interior are inspired by nature they will be lasting colors that you will not tire of. Think of your favorite vacation spot or the beauty of your favorite animal or natural object. These can all be great starting points to think about using color in your home.
Look through your vacation photos, page through a photography book or best yet step right outside your door and become inspired to have a fresh energy, approach and think about adding colors found in nature to your interior.
Please watch Kare 11 News at 4 pm today to hear Lisa present more about color, paint and how to use them in your interiors.
You are currently browsing the Design Inspiration Blog blog archives for April, 2009.
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LiLu Interiors, a boutique interior design firm with offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides custom design, project management, space planning and construction oversight services to homeowners across the Twin Cities and wherever our clients may take us. About | Work | Accolades | Contact | Client Access | Trade Partners | Privacy ©2008 LiLu Interiors |
